Chelsea’s ownership group are clearly looking to take full advantage of their control over Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg.
The Blues are on the hunt for a new manager following the surprise departure of Enzo Maresca and are believed to be looking closely at Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior as his potential departure, having been impressed with the former Hull City manager during his time in France.
If Rosenior does make the move, Chelsea could look to recruit a handful of other familiar faces from Strasbourg, even if it risks the wrath of a fan group which is already vocal in its disgust towards its perception as a “feeder side” for Chelsea.
Here are a selection of players Chelsea could look to recruit to ease Rosenior’s proposed arrival.
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During the early weeks of the season, it was reported that Chelsea were working towards an agreement to sign striker Emmanuel Emegha in the summer of 2026, and that deal was confirmed in September.
Emegha’s impending arrival adds to an already bloated striker department at Chelsea which already includes João Pedro and Liam Delap, making it incredibly unlikely that Strasbourg’s other star striker, the in-demand Joaquín Panichelli, will be heading to Stamford Bridge.
Julio Enciso completed a permanent move to Strasbourg from Brighton & Hove Albion during the summer window, but the deal appears to be far more complicated than that.
Reports state the plan for Enciso was to spend one season in Ligue 1 before joining up with Chelsea ahead of the 2026–27 season. The specifics of that arrangement have not been made clear and no formal confirmation has been offered thus far, but it is clearly something in the works.
Strasbourg will bid farewell to another three squad members at the end of the season as Mike Penders, Kendry Páez and Mamadou Sarr will return to Chelsea when their loan contracts expire.
Penders has been a permanent starter under Rosenior and Sarr has also enjoyed plenty of minutes, but the same cannot be said for 18-year-old Páez, who has failed to win over the boss and begins 2026 with just four Ligue 1 starts to his name so far.
With those deals out of the way, let’s take a look at four other players who could be of interest to Chelsea.
Chelsea wanted Valentín Barco in 2023 when it became clear he was destined to leave Boca Juniors. The Argentina international, known best as a left back at that point, ultimately made the switch to Brighton & Hove Albion, but he never found his feet at the AMEX and an underwhelming loan to Sevilla threatened to be the end of his career in Europe.
Strasbourg picked Barco up on loan in early 2025 and watched him flash the potential which was evident earlier in his career, completing a permanent deal a few months later as Barco reinvented himself as a central midfielder.
Still only 21 and overflowing with confidence, Barco is a key cog in Rosenior’s system and would have been tracked by Chelsea even if he wasn’t playing for their sister side. It almost feels like destiny that Barco will be given the chance to strut his stuff at Stamford Bridge.
‘Diegzy’ is already somewhat of a cult hero at Chelsea. The 21-year-old left winger joined the Blues on a free transfer from Benfica in 2023 and made more of an impact on social media than on the pitch before completing a permanent move to Strasbourg 12 months later.
Rosenior has used Moreira as his left wing back to great effect and, given Chelsea are hardly blessed with quality in that specific role after Maresca purged the squad of all natural full backs, there could be a vacancy for someone of his quality.
Comfortable on both sides of the pitch and willing to combine defending with his clear knowledge of Rosenior’s attacking principles, Moreira is the sort of signing which could help the manager’s potential transition to life at Stamford Bridge.
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Strasbourg have plenty of success stories when it comes to their transfer business under BlueCo, with the emergence of defender Guela Doué up there with the most impressive.
Signed in a deal worth up to €8 million (£7 million, $9.4 million), Doué began his Strasbourg tenure as a relatively unknown right back but is now a crucial fixture on the right side of Rosenior’s three central defenders.
Doué, the older brother of Paris Saint-Germain star Desiré, has been attracting interest from a number of big sides, including AC Milan, after seamlessly figuring out what it takes to be a hybrid member of Rosenior’s system. Another who could make life at Chelsea far easier.
There are a few different ways to look at a hypothetical deal for Ismaël Doukouré, a 22-year-old central defender who is comfortable in a deep midfield role. He’s an intriguing young player who has long been tipped for a bright future.
Alongside his talent comes last summer’s controversy about his contract. With Doukouré angling for a big move as he entered the final year of his deal, he was frozen out and warned that he would spend 12 months on the sidelines if he did not extend. Ultimately, a three-year deal was agreed and Doukouré was welcomed back into Rosenior’s squad.
The idea of a move to Chelsea to appease Doukouré’s ambitions is nothing new, but it’s one which could gain strength if Rosenior does make the move to west London.
